Buddy will be 2 next month. He's pretty tall (28") and when he got shots about 4 months ago, he wad 95lbs, but overall seems a little lanky/lean. Not skinny but not as bulky as other berners I've seen. Do they just take a few years to fill out? Or does he likely not have great breeding (husband got him from a small time backyard breeder as a surprise ant turns out he has very mild hip dysplasia). Or maybe its just because his coat hadn't fully come in yet (I cut it short last summer but left it this summer)

I'm trying to get a good side shot but so far he's not cooperating.

Okay so not a great picture but here's a side shot:

Buddy Im sure brings you lots of love and happiness, so it doesnt matter if he came from a backyard breeder or a big time breeder. He is a tall & lean dog, in the long run, that will only benefit him if he does have hip dysplasia. Do you give him glucosomine ssupplements? Its a good idea to give them everyday. Post somemore pictures of Buddy soon.

I did give him supplements in the beginning but I'm horrible at remembering meds. Other than having a slightly odd gait it doesn't seem to bother him. We have really steep deck stairs and a spiral staircase to our basement. He runs up and down those with no problems.

Ill post more pics later (on my phone right now). He is a good dog and is amazing with our 9 month old son. I posted a video a while back of our son crawling over his face.

If you are looking for feedback on his structure, I would be happy to provide it based on the photo you posted:

At 28" and 95 lbs he is in fact over the breed standard and "not to standard" based on his structure. No dog is perfect mind you and every dog has faults, but if it helps you to understand his gait then you may want to go to the BMDCA and look at the breed standard. There should be an illustrated picture as well to help. It will show you the optimal angulation, which your boy is lacking, and a level topline - with poor angulation, gait and movement is affected. They will not cover ground well, tire more easily as a result, and be more prone to injury depending on what the specific faults may be - so just something to watch for as many often don't understand why their Berners get strains and sprains in shoulders, hocks, and backs as a result.

If not highly active, then injury is often not an issue so don't worry. But x-rays are in order to ensure that hips and elbows at a minimum are ok. All Berners should be x-rayed and if from a responsible breeder this would be required in your contract (OFA certification). Since you purchased from a backyard breeder, you should simply do this on your own so that you have a baseline and know what you are dealing with. If there are hip or elbow issues, then getting on proper joint supplements or more is in order asap and will help long term.

I am only scratching the surface here and others may have more to offer, so hope that helps.

Thanks for the info. We actually did have his hips xrayed shortly after we got him when we noticed he walked a little odd. One hip looks fine and the other was just a tiny bit out. We were actually able to get our money back once we neutered him because of the health guarantee from the breeder.